
The winter that keeps coming and going : A night on the Dobson
By Adam Cheeseman, Program Director
Life is full of traditions, big and small. Some revolve around holidays, others are daily rituals, while some follow the seasons. Since I was a kid, camping has been a personal tradition of mine, with each trip bringing about its own stories, experiences in nature, and, of course, weather.
This winter a few friends and I were planning an overnight on the Dobson Trail. Located in Mi’kma’ki, the Dobson Trail runs from Riverview, NB to Fundy National Park and is Canada’s oldest volunteer built and maintained trail in Canada. Managed by the Fundy Hiking Trails Association, the Dobson is a beautiful, quiet trail in winter that passes by lazy streams, river valleys, and mixed forest stands. As plans began to take shape and we miraculously found a date that worked for everyone, an odd thing happened. We began to realize that this ‘winter’ camping trip may lack a key element – snow.
It seems ironic writing this now with Nova Scotia recovering from record snowfalls, but there was a time a few weeks ago that we were all scratching our heads wondering when winter was going to come.

Many of us know that 2023 was the hottest year on record, with many headlines indicating the previous records have been ‘smashed’. It is also easy to see the physical scars a changing climate has had on our area as communities continue to clean up after Hurricane Fiona, the 2023 wildfire season, and more frequent coastal and inland flooding.
While the extreme weather grabs our attention, there are more nuanced changes happening around us. The Department of Health (HealthAdapt project) reports that accumulated snow has decreased by 25% in the north and 50% in the south parts of New Brunswick, while the frequency of winter thaws have increased. Environment and Climate Change Canada records show that the probability of a white Christmas is also in steady decline across the province. This is not to say we are going to be rid of snow entirely. In fact, due to a warmer atmosphere being able to hold more moisture, we can actually expect more extreme snow events when they do come.
So, what does this all have to do with a camping trip? Well, like so many individuals and communities these days – we had to adapt our plans. Instead of packing snowshoes, we packed crampons to help with traction on ice. Instead of an extra clothes layer, we planned on hiking in our base layers with the forecast hovering above 0?.

Fortunately, we ended up with a nice layer of snow to enjoy and insulate our tents with, but the non-winter weather that dominated January was a constant part of our conversations. Walking along the trail, we talked about the little streams with no ice, bare ground where snow hadn’t taken hold, the warm sun beating on our backs…and if it wasn’t for bringing my summer sleeping bag, I’m not sure it would have felt like winter camping at all.
During the trip I had a hard time shaking the reality that winters…and spring, summer, and fall are different now. And with these changes, comes a change in our routine and our traditions. While changing what you pack on a camping trip isn’t a big deal, some traditions are deeply connected to who we are as nature lovers and naturalists.

Exploring winter tracks, snowshoeing on your favourite trail, hockey in the backyard, sledding with the kids, watching winter birds at the feeder from the kitchen window…these are all traditions that we hold close to our hearts and ones we come to expect as the seasons progress through each year.
Sure, we’re not going to lose these experiences entirely. But, as it becomes harder to engage in winter activities and traditions – it’s impossible not to feel a longing for what winter were like before. In fact, the term ‘solastalgia’, developed by Australian scholar Glenn Albrecht, is used to describe this exact feeling – a feeling of homesickness when you haven’t left home, but your home, namely the nature around it, is changing.

While the snow has continued to come, and then melt, and then come again, my camping experience this year has reminded me of the importance of doubling down on our collective climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. While we need faster, bolder action on all fronts, some things I am encouraged by (and encourage you to learn more about) include:
- A growing recognition of eco/climate anxiety and its impact on people from all walks of life. Read more here
- The unwavering dedication of the environmental NGO community in New Brunswick to help communities prepare and adapt. See some examples here.
- Groups like Protect Our Winters Canada, whose mission is to turn passionate outdoor people into climate advocates, bringing new audiences into the nature/climate scene
- The Province of New Brunswick is set to release a new target for protected and conserved areas beyond our current 10% this year. Protected areas can play a huge role in helping mitigate and adapt to climate change through storing carbon, holding back flood waters, and providing refuge areas for plants and animals.
- Municipal leadership in adopting targets to bring communities to net-zero emissions by 2050 (e.g. Moncton)
At Nature NB, we’re dedicated to taking action on climate change through our education and conservation projects as we work to celebrate, conserve, and protect New Brunswick’s natural heritage. If you are interested in volunteering for our programs that help advance climate action in New Brunswick please get in touch at info@naturenb.ca.